'Nashville Star' Lands Second Life on CMT

Billy Ray Cyrus of 'Nashville Star'

Billy Ray Cyrus of 'Nashville Star'

Zap2It.com

CMT has landed second-run rights to NBC's "Nashville Star," which makes sense, if you think about it.

"Nashville Star," which previously aired on USA, will have its sixth season premiere on NBC on Monday, June 9. CMT will get its first crack at reairings on the afternoon of Saturday, June 14. CMT's encores will move to their regular slot starting on Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

"Partnering with CMT is a strategic move by Reveille and NBC to create a brand affiliation for 'Nashville Star' with the biggest television outlet for country music," says executive producer Howard T. Owens, managing director of Reveille, LLC. "To repurpose on CMT was the only natural distribution fit."

Indeed. A show based around finding a country music superstar airing episodes on a network largely synonymous with country music? Sounds just crazy enough to work.

"With CMT favorites like Billy Ray Cyrus, John Rich and Jewel, this show is a natural fit for our audience," says Mary Beth Cunin, vice president, programming strategy, CMT. "'Nashville Star' was one of the first music competition series to recognize that the country music genre holds mass appeal, and we're thrilled to partner with NBC on the series first broadcast run."